
Jumping through the waves
The Killer Whales of Argentina can be seen from late February to late April. However, in March photographers and filmmakers are attracted from all over the world to see them hunt along the coast of the Peninsula Valdes. March being the time when the sea lion and seal pups are still young and naive enough to wake up in the morning sun and, perhaps forgetting it is high tide, dash down to go frolicking in the waves.
However, as long as you’re not one of these luckless pups Killer Whales, or Orcas, are said to be very friendly animals and they are not at all keen on eating people – apparently that is only as long as the people have not put them in a swimming pool and make them jump through hoops, in that case they might be persuaded.
They are exceptionally clever: there is story of a marine ecologist who throw a snowball at one only to watch in amazement as the whale broke of a bit of ice and attempt to bump it out of the water at him. Fortunately the whale’s aim was rubbish, otherwise it sounds like it could have turned into a very dangerous snow ball – and blocks of ice – fight.

Killer whales hunting, Peninsula Valdes